


bloodlines

by ndnickerson



Series: Red Label [26]
Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Baby Fic, Birthday Party, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-28
Updated: 2014-02-28
Packaged: 2018-01-14 01:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1246786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nancy and Ned on a summer Saturday with their children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	bloodlines

**Author's Note:**

  * For [slytheringurrl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytheringurrl/gifts).



Nancy released a soft groan, shifting onto her back. From the bassinet beside their bed, she heard the bleating cry of their two-month-old daughter. "Shhhh," she murmured, pushing herself up slowly. Ned groaned beside her, burying his face in the pillow. The morning was still hours away, and Nancy's limbs were heavy with exhaustion.

Slowly she swung her legs around and onto the floor, staggering to her feet. Anna's cries were starting to build, to become louder, and the last thing she wanted was for Anna's brother and sister to wake and come running. With a huge yawn Nancy leaned over the bassinet. Anna's tiny fists were swinging as she cried. "Shhhh," Nancy murmured again. She knew the baby was likely hungry, but when she checked her diaper, she was unsurprised to find it in need of a change, too. "Shhhh, honey."

"Mmmm," Ned grumbled. "Nan?"

"She jus' needs a change," Nancy mumbled, picking Anna up and holding the squirming bundle of her daughter to her chest as she moved over to the changing table. To keep from disturbing Ned, she clicked on the small lamp near the table, then deftly changed Anna's diaper. Nancy and Ned had learned how to do it practically in their sleep with Jamie, and had perfected it with Ellie.

Anna was still crying, but Nancy snapped her onesie back into place and carried her back to bed, moving under the covers as she opened her nightgown. She realized belatedly that she had left the lamp turned on, but she couldn't muster the strength to do anything about it. Once Nancy's breast was exposed, Anna latched on easily, her breath hitching a few times before she began to nurse.

Nancy closed her eyes, idly stroking her daughter's hair. Anna had been born with blue eyes and wisps of blonde hair, and when Nancy had held her for the first time, she had felt both overjoyed and saddened. Anna would be her last baby. She was small, but she was perfect. Nancy savored the moments she spent nursing her, cuddling her, rocking her, singing to her, knowing they would pass all too quickly.

Nancy yawned twice more as she nursed Anna, then reached for the water bottle she kept beside the bed. Nursing had always made her incredibly thirsty. She felt almost delirious with exhaustion, and when Anna's rhythmic suckling slowed, then tapered off entirely, Nancy slowly blinked herself awake again and looked down into her daughter's small face. Anna's eyes were closed, her lashes casting shadows against her flushed cheeks.

"Awww. Sweet girl," she whispered, gently stroking her cheek before she reached for a burping cloth and tossed it over her shoulder. She brought Anna up and patted her back until she burped, then wiped her face and chin before giving her a few more pats for good measure. Getting out of bed to put Anna back in the bassinet felt almost impossible, and so Nancy settled Anna onto the bed between her and Ned, then moved down to put her head on her pillow. Anna was already breathing evenly, and as soon as Nancy had pulled her nightgown back up, she was asleep too.

When she woke again, the room was brighter and she was alone in the bed. Nancy yawned and clumsily kicked some of the covers away; she was warm, but not quite ready to get up yet.

"Honey?"

Ned's voice was soft, and Nancy groaned as she pushed herself up to roll onto her back. Ned was standing by her side of the bed, and Anna was in his arms, whimpering.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah. I just changed her." Ned was in his robe, and Nancy propped herself up in the bed again, opening her nightgown. "How are you feeling?"

"Mmm. Exhausted," Nancy sighed. She hadn't exactly forgotten how hard it was the first few months, but it had been different with each of them. Jamie had been her first, their only boy, and Nancy had been terrified of screwing up. Ellie had been her first girl, and she had been more dependent—and they had needed to take care of Jamie at the same time. Now the two of them had three children to handle at the same time, but Jamie was seven and Ellie was four, and Jamie already knew how it was to be an older brother.

"I'll go make you some coffee," Ned offered, and when he opened the bedroom door, they heard the hallway bathroom door open.

"Morning, mouse."

"Daddy," Ellie giggled, and Ned gave her a little hug before she came into her parents' bedroom and climbed up onto the bed. Ellie was fascinated by her little sister. "Hey Mommy."

"Hey," Nancy said with a smile, glancing from Anna to Ellie. "Excited about today?"

Ellie nodded eagerly. "She's hungry," she commented, watching Anna nurse.

"Yeah. Babies are hungry and sleepy all the time."

"And they cry."

"Yeah." Nancy stroked Anna's cheek. "She doesn't know how to say anything yet, and when she wants something, that's all she knows how to do."

Ellie nodded. At Christmas, when Nancy had still been pregnant but Ellie had understood that her parents would be having another baby, Hannah had given Ellie a baby doll she could feed and change and cuddle, and Ellie had been diligently "practicing" with her baby doll, bringing her to the dinner table with her small bottles of "food" and her serving spoon. Jamie had rolled his eyes, but when Ellie's baby doll had been misplaced one afternoon, he had helped her find it.

After Anna stopped nursing with a little sigh that brought a smile to Nancy's face, Nancy picked up the burping cloth again. Ellie had just opened her mouth to say something when Sadie scampered into the room and jumped up onto the bed. "Sadie!" Ellie squealed, as the dog licked her face. She dissolved into giggles, and Nancy heard Anna cooing in response, between hiccups.

Mollie had lived a good long life, and after she had passed away, Nancy and Ned had considered whether they wanted another pet. Jamie and Ellie, and Nancy and Ned too, had been saddened at the loss, and so a week later, Ned and Jamie had gone to the animal shelter in River Heights. Nancy's only request was that the dog was good with kids and already house-trained, and Ned and Jamie had returned with a German Shepherd puppy who was practically a year old. Her name was Sadie, and while she was the family dog, she loved Ned and Jamie the most. She slept at the foot of Jamie's bed, and loved playing with him in the fenced backyard. At dinner she sat under the table, and more than once Nancy had caught Jamie and Ellie feeding her green beans or steamed carrots, just as they had done with Mollie.

Ellie's hair was still a mess, and she wore a set of Spider-Man pajamas that she had picked out after Jamie had let her have one of his old action figures. Jamie bounded into his parents' bedroom and Sadie, who was sniffing Anna's foot, bounced toward him.

"Mom can I ride my bike to the end of the street and back?" he asked all in one breath, patting Sadie's head and scratching behind her ears. He was already dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, sneakers on. Since he had started school, he had been up every morning and ready to go, and by the time his appointed bedtime rolled around, he was exhausted. He really was just like his father, Nancy thought, looking at him with a fond smile. She saw pieces of herself and pieces of Ned in both Ellie and Jamie, and Jamie was boundless energy and eagerness. He was quick to make friends and slower to lose them, and while Nancy and Ned had been sure to tell Jamie that popularity didn't matter, they had both been happy for him when he had proven to be one of the most popular boys in his class.

And of course he was. He was a Nickerson, just as handsome as his father.

"Oooooh can I go?" Ellie asked, glancing between her brother and her mother. " _Please_?"

"You aren't even _dressed yet,_ " Jamie moaned.

Ned walked into the bedroom holding two mugs of coffee, and had to laugh when he saw that the room had filled in his absence. "Dad, can I ride my bike to the end of the street and back, _please_?" Jamie asked.

"I wanna go too!" Ellie declared.

Ned put a mug of coffee beside his wife as she brought her knees up and rested Anna against them, holding her up so she and the baby could look at each other. Nancy wiped her face and chin, and Anna gurgled and cooed. For the first few months of her life she had wanted to eat and sleep, but she was starting to stay awake longer, meeting her brother and sister and batting at her soft toys.

"Why don't we divide and conquer?" Nancy suggested. "Ned, would you mind watching Jamie so he can ride his bike? That way I can help Ellie and Anna get ready, and then I can grab a shower while you guys have breakfast, and..." She sighed. "Boy, Saturdays are complicated."

"All right," Ned agreed, dropping a kiss on Nancy's head. Ellie stood up on the edge of the bed and he gave her one too, then kissed Anna, who cooed. "Let me just put some pants on, Jamie."

Between Nancy and Ned, they managed to arrange it so Ned could take his shower after breakfast, and Nancy right before lunch. The den was their family room, and once Ellie had started bringing many of her toys downstairs to play, Nancy had set up cubbyhole shelves for each of the kids, to hold their action figures and Barbies and building blocks. Once everyone was downstairs, even Sadie, Nancy settled in the rocking chair in the corner of the room and sang softly to Anna.

They had decided on her name, Anna Catherine, before she had been born, and the first time Nancy had looked into her younger daughter's eyes, she had known the name fit her. Anna's eyes were the same blue as Nancy's, and if Jamie was almost the spitting image of his father, Anna was almost the spitting image of her mother.

Ellie walked in wearing the clothes she had picked out for the party. At first she had wanted to wear a heavy black velvet and plaid satin dress with a lace collar that was two sizes too small for her, and Nancy had pointed out that it would be hot and she would probably be more comfortable in something else. Now she wore blue leggings with large white polka dots and a t-shirt with a large cartoon cat face on it. Ned had put her hair up in two ponytails, one above each ear.

"Oh, that's very pretty, sweetie."

Ellie beamed, swinging the small purse hanging over her shoulder. Her Aunt George and Uncle Kevin spoiled Nancy and Bess's children at Christmas, and the flower-embroidered purse had been one of their gifts to Ellie. George had told Nancy and Bess that it was perfect: they were able to see the excitement and joy when the kids were unwrapping their presents, and then they were able to go home to a peaceful, clean house. Bess had stuck her tongue out at her cousin, and Nancy had just shaken her head.

Their life was busy. Jamie had scouts and soccer practice and Little League, and Ellie had scout meetings and martial arts classes. On the weekends Nancy and Ned wanted to relax, but it had been harder to find time _to_ relax. At least they might be able to relax a little later on that afternoon.

Ellie left the purse on the couch—knowing her, it probably held what she called her "kit," a ring of skeleton keys in all sizes that she had been collecting since her mother had explained what a lockpick kit was—and walked over to her mother. "Mommy?"

"Yeah, Ellie-bear?"

"Can I hold her?" Ellie asked, her eyes wide.

Ellie had wanted to hold Anna when she was a newborn, but Nancy hadn't quite felt okay letting her yet. She had told her that she would when Anna was a little bigger, and so Ellie kept asking, every now and then.

Nancy considered, then had Ellie sit down at one corner of the couch so she was against the arm, and gently placed Anna in her sister's arms. Ellie sat very stiffly, without moving, and looked down into Anna's face.

"Hey," she whispered. "Hey, Anna-kitten. I'm your big sister. And when you get a little bigger we can play dolls together and have tea parties."

Nancy smiled, reaching for her phone. Her phone's memory was full of pictures of the children, and every now and then she took a photo of herself and Ned for a little variety. Sometimes Nancy called Anna by both her names, or Anna-Kate, and Ellie had started calling her "kitten" because she had misunderstood.

Kitten and mouse. Nancy supposed it made some strange sort of sense.

Ned came into the living room with his phone to his ear, and when Nancy gestured for him to keep an eye on Ellie and Anna, he nodded. She went to the bathroom, then poured herself a tall glass of lemonade. When she saw that Jamie and Sadie were playing in the backyard, but Jamie was walking toward the house, she poured a glass for him too and sat down at the table.

"Hey hon."

"Hey Mom," Jamie said, accepting the glass with a smile as Sadie bounded past him to drink half her water bowl, then hurtled into the den. "Thanks. We're gonna leave soon?"

"Yeah, in a little while. Maybe if you and I work together, we can convince Dad to grill out tonight."

Jamie's eyes lit up. Ned let Jamie help him when he was grilling out, and usually they made s'mores after. "Really?"

"Yeah. C'mere, honey," she said, and when Jamie obediently walked over to her, she wrapped him in a brief hug. "I just wanted to tell you that you've been a really amazing older brother, and I'm really proud of you. I know how hard it must be with the new baby and Ellie always wanting to hang out with you, but it's because she thinks you're so awesome."

"Thanks, Mom."

Nancy smoothed his hair. "I love you, Jamie," she said, looking into his eyes. "Your Dad and I love you very much."

"I love you too, Mom," Jamie said, and hugged her again. "And Mellie's not so bad. I think it's pretty cool that she likes Spider-Man."

Nancy smiled. She had never liked it when Jamie and Ned called Ellie "Minnie," and they had started to say "Minnie" and tacked on Ellie at the end that her name had been "M-Ellie," and then "Mellie." Only Jamie and Ned called her that, though.

"Well, she just wants to be cool like her big brother."

Then they heard Anna wailing from the next room, and Nancy sighed. "Guess we'd better go check on the girls."

\--

Occasionally Jamie's entire family traveled in the same car, but most of the time they didn't. Jamie hadn't realized it was strange until one of his friends had commented on it. Sometimes, though, Jamie's father received a call from someone about his job and he had to leave, and taking two cars meant they didn't need to wait for him to return. It also meant that, most of the time, Jamie and Ellie and now Anna weren't all in the same back seat.

Jamie couldn't wait until he was old enough to ride in the front passenger seat. There was so much he couldn't wait to do—to go on one of the troop's overnight camping trips, to move up to the next league, to flip a burger on the grill. So far his father had let him turn hot dogs under his supervision, but that wasn't as much fun. Once Anna was old enough, Jamie's father had told him, maybe they could take a camping trip together as a family. Jamie was excited by the idea, but he could also tell that it would be a while before Anna was old enough. Ellie had been three years old before she had been old enough to do anything fun.

Jamie rode in his father's car to the party, and before his mother had strapped him in, she had given him a wink. "Hey, Dad," Jamie asked. "Maybe we could have hamburgers tonight, on the grill?"

"Mmm. I'll ask your Mom," he replied, checking both ways before he turned. Jamie glanced back and saw his mother's blue SUV behind them. She played either classical music or nursery-rhyme albums in her car. Jamie's father played a classic rock station, and for a while it had been their little secret, until Ellie had been humming a song at the dinner table and Jamie's mother, her eyebrows already up, had turned to gaze at Jamie's father with a look Jamie recognized on her face. Apparently the name of the song was "You Shook Me All Night Long," and it was also apparently "highly inappropriate." Jamie had, of course, been fascinated after that. He knew the song had a word he had been told he wasn't supposed to use until he was a grown-up, but the song was exciting and he liked it.

"I think she would like it."

Jamie's father chuckled. "So she recruited you, huh? It sounds good to me."

Ellie and their cousin Olivia attended the same preschool Jamie had attended, and they were best friends. Jamie's best friend was Sanjay, although everyone called him Jay. They had started scouts on the same day, they went to the same school, and they played soccer together. Jay wasn't as enthusiastic about Little League, but Jamie forgave him for that. Jamie was good at soccer, but Jay's father came to every single soccer game, cheering him loudly from the sidelines, so eager that it made Jamie cringe a little and he didn't know why. Jamie's parents came to the games too, when they could, and they cheered him on whenever he had the ball. Ellie brought her favorite Barbie, dressed in her miniature soccer uniform, and cheered her older brother on with that, too. Then they all went out for ice cream.

Other guys talked about their little brothers and sisters being pests, always tagging along and whining and getting their way, and sometimes Jamie was annoyed with Ellie. Most of the time, though, he let her hang out with him because their mother had been right. Ellie thought that her older brother was the most awesome guy in the world, after their father. She asked him questions and how to do things, and to help her out when she couldn't do something, especially lately.

Jamie did love Anna, but he had already been a little jealous of the attention his parents paid to Ellie. Now he had _another_ sister, and this one wasn't any fun yet, and his mom was exhausted all the time. He wanted her to be back to the way she had been before, when they had been able to hang out and play without a baby squalling every five minutes.

Jamie forgot all that, though, when he saw the play area at Riverside Park. Clusters of balloons were tied to picnic tables, and a large inflatable bouncy house had been set up. Jamie saw a bunch of kids he knew from school, but he had already known they would be there. Jacob O'Shea wasn't in Jamie's class this year, but he and Jamie were friends, and his parents were friends with Jamie's parents too. Jamie spotted his Aunt Bess and Uncle Terry, with Olivia and their new baby, a little boy named Hunter. Jamie had heard his Aunt George comment that the next one would be named Forest or maybe Spring, and he hadn't understood until he thought about it. Olive and hunter were both shades of green. Then he had given his aunt a raised hand to slap five, which had cracked his parents up.

Jamie spotted Jay and Jay's little sister Padma when he jumped down from the car. "Hey!" he called, and Jay grinned at him. Padma was the same as age Jamie's cousin Olivia, just a little younger than Ellie.

A lot of kids and parents were still coming in from the parking lot, and Jamie waved to his father before he carried the present he had brought for Jacob over to the gift table. He waved at Uncle Mike and Aunt Jan; Aunt Jan gave him a smile, although she seemed really nervous. "Bouncy house?" Jamie asked Jay.

Jay shrugged. "Wouldn't it be lame?"

Padma was standing next to her brother, her dark eyes wide. She had a doll in her other hand. Jamie remembered what his parents had told him, that if he wanted to do something, the only thing that made it uncool was if it hurt or upset someone else. "I think it'd be fun," Jamie said. "Padma, you want to hang out with Ellie?"

After they had made sure Padma was with Ellie and Olivia, near their mothers—each rocking a baby and chatting with the other—and fathers, Jamie and Jay headed over to the bouncy house. A girl with shining blonde hair flipped it, sniffing as they approached. "The bouncy house is for babies," she announced.

"If you mean 'people who don't like fun,' then sure," Jamie replied with a grin, toeing off his shoes. When he saw Jacob coming over, he gestured for him to follow. "C'mon, man!"

Once the three of them were in the bouncy house, a lot of other kids joined them. One of them was a red-headed girl who had pale skin and freckles; she had been in Jamie's class that school year. "Hey Maggie!"

She grinned and waved at him. "Hey Jamie!"

The bouncy house wasn't the only toy they had set up. On the other side was an inflated obstacle course, and Jay and Jamie went through it, laughing the whole time. Uncle Mike was watching to make sure no one got hurt, and once they were through it, he sent them over to the snack table to get some punch.

Jamie thought the party was great. When Ellie came over to get a cupcake, she begged Jamie to take her in the bouncy house, and Jamie did—but he kept a close eye on her. Some of the other guys were jumping up in the air, then bringing their feet up and landing hard on their butts, and Jamie didn't want Ellie to get hurt if she was bounced off her feet and into a wall. She laughed and hugged him when they crawled out of the bouncy house. Danny, who was standing outside, pointed and laughed, but his laugh was mean.

"Aww. Big softie hanging out with his baby sister."

"Hey," Jay shot back, but Jamie shook his head. While he wanted to yell back at him too, his parents had told him that what a bully really wanted was for someone to yell at him. The best way to get back at him was to just ignore him and walk away. Yelling at him would only make it worse.

_Then_ , his father had told him afterward, when they were alone, _if he tries to make trouble all you do is show him you aren't afraid of him. You knock him down in front of his friends, and he won't harass you anymore, and neither will anyone else who hears that you stand up for yourself. Just make sure a teacher doesn't see you._

Jamie understood that his mother wouldn't like it if he did that, but Jamie also thought his dad was the coolest dad in the world. Jamie's mom and dad both made sure that bad guys were put in prison, where they couldn't hurt people. That was incredibly cool, and Jamie couldn't wait until he could do that too.

Most of the children at the party were the same age as Jamie and Jay and their classmates, and Jamie made sure to hold onto Ellie's hand as they walked back over to the other side of the sheltered picnic tables, where Padma and Olivia were. Jamie's father was holding Anna, and Uncle Terry was holding Hunter. Jamie spotted his mother and Aunt Bess with Aunt Jan; they were over near the snack table, setting out ice cream.

"You two have fun?" Jamie's father asked with a smile, patting Anna's back.

"Yep!" Ellie declared. "The bouncy house is _soooo_ fun!"

"That's good, mouse," he replied, and she threw her arms around his legs and gave him a hug.

After they each topped their scoops of ice cream with sprinkles and gummi bears and wolfed those down, Jamie and Jay, along with Maggie and Jacob and Brent and Mark, were excited enough to run around the park a dozen times without stopping. The playground was at the other side of the covered picnic table area, and they raced each other to the slide, then jumped onto the swings and climbed the rope web. When Maggie fell down, Jay helped her up and she gave him a grin. Chrissy, who was on Jay and Jamie's soccer team, came over to their group and scrambled up the slide, then laughed as she slid back down again.

After Aunt Jan had called them over for the piñata, while they were tying it up in the low branches of a tree, Jamie felt a hand touch his. He looked down and saw his sister, her dark eyes wide. "What's piñata?"

Jamie pointed at the multicolored miniature castle. "They put a blindfold on somebody, and probably Jacob will go first. We take turns hitting it with something until candy comes out."

"Won't that hurt it?" Ellie's lower lip poked out.

"No, Mellie. It won't hurt it. But sometimes the person wearing a blindfold doesn't know where he is and accidentally smacks people. Where's Olivia?"

Ellie shrugged. "I think 'Livia and Padma wanted to slide."

Jamie looked up at the piñata and the adults again. "Let's go find them, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

Jamie saw his father, but he was talking to Jamie's mother and Aunt Bess. Olivia and Padma were at the swings, but the blonde girl and Danny and a bigger boy had already claimed them. The big boy swung back a little more violently and almost brushed Padma; she startled and took a few steps back, dropping her doll. Then the bigger boy reached the highest point in his swing and let go, flying into the air before he hit the ground with a little stumble. "Ooooh," Ellie breathed.

"No," Jamie told her. "Don't do that."

"Why?"

"I saw another guy do that and he got hurt really bad. I don't want you to get hurt."

Ellie nodded, looking into Jamie's eyes, then looked back at the swingset.

The blonde girl had picked up the baby doll Padma had dropped, and Danny snatched it out of her hands. "Oooh, I've got it now," he crowed.

Padma's big dark eyes filled with tears, and Olivia reached for her friend's hand.

Jamie had just opened his mouth when Ellie released his hand and ran toward Danny. "Hey," she yelled, and when Danny looked over at her, Jamie narrowed his eyes. "Give it _back_!"

Danny held the doll up high, where Ellie couldn't have reached it, and Padma let out an anguished wail. "What're you gonna do, shrimp?"

Ellie set her jaw, and Jamie hadn't quite reached them when she bent down a little, then sprang into the air. Danny was expecting her to snatch at the doll, and he jerked it just over her head, cackling. But Jamie recognized the expression on his sister's face; he knew he wore it sometimes, too. Instead of reaching for the doll, she shoved hard at the center of Danny's chest. She landed as he staggered backward a few steps.

"Give it _back_!" she demanded again.

Danny was glaring at her. "Hey," he said, taking a step forward.

"Hey," Jamie replied, and he heard Jay behind him. "I didn't know you liked playing with dolls."

Danny yanked the doll behind his back. Ellie glanced up at her big brother. "Shut up, Nickerson," Danny sneered.

Jamie shrugged. "Well, if you don't like playing with dolls, but you like _stealing_ them instead..."

Jamie's parents and his aunt and uncle had started walking over to the group. Danny noticed, and Ellie took advantage of his distraction to snatch at Padma's doll. She almost managed to grab it, but Danny yanked it away and stamped on the ground, trying to get her foot.

Ellie grabbed his wrist, digging her nails in, and Danny cried out. Ellie triumphantly grabbed the doll and ran back to Padma, and Jamie took a step toward Danny, narrowing his eyes.

"That's my little sister," he said, his voice hard, the way his father spoke when he was angry. "You hurt her and you answer to me, jerk."

"And me," Jay put in. "That was my little sister's doll."

"Oh, shut up," Danny sneered at Jay, and then he called him a word that Jamie's father had told him was a bad word, a mean word, one he was never to say. Jamie had mentioned overhearing it at dinner one night, and Jamie's father had just shaken his head, telling him that only a stupid jerk would call Sanjay that name—or teach his son to say it.

Jamie didn't think about it. He punched the other boy in the stomach.

He heard his mother shout something, but Jamie didn't register what it was over the roaring in his head. He and Danny hit the ground, scrabbling at each other, and Danny hit Jamie in the shoulder before Jamie felt himself being lifted bodily off the ground. He found himself in his father's arms; he was panting, scuffed-up and covered in sand from the playground.

"That's enough," Jamie's father said, and his voice was hard too. "Are your parents here?"

Danny, who had scrambled to his feet, took a few steps back, shaking his head as he looked up into Ned's face. His brow was still furrowed, and he was limping slightly; Jamie was pretty sure he had kicked him during the fight. "No," he muttered, then turned and ran toward the group of kids still gathered around the piñata. His two friends walked after him, casting glances back over their shoulders.

Jamie's mother knelt down, looking into his face. "Are you all right?" she asked, her voice breathless with alarm, brushing sand from his shirt. "Did he hit you?"

Jamie nodded, still trying to catch his breath, and pointed at his shoulder. "I'm okay," he assured his mother, who was cringing. "It was nothing."

She shook her head, chuckling in a way that Jamie knew didn't mean she was laughing. "Just like your dad," she muttered, pushing up his sleeve to look at his arm.

"Just like his mother, you mean," Jamie's father replied, gently putting him down on his feet. "Padma, Olivia? Ellie? You okay?"

"I got Padma's doll," Ellie replied, her voice high and excited.

Jamie's mother shook her head again. "What were you saying about us dressing up as the family from _The Incredibles_ for Halloween?"

Jamie's father laughed. "If Anna can become a sentient fireball, we'll _really_ have problems."

Jamie heard Ellie asking what "sentient" meant as his mother finished checking him over and sighed. "I think you're okay, but you might have some bruises," she said, and then hugged him. "God. You're okay, honey."

Ellie came over too, and she patted his hand. "Okay?"

Nancy nodded. "He's okay. But if you start feeling bad, you let me know, okay?"

Jamie nodded too, and when she released him, Ellie flung her arms around him too.

\--

That night, when the sun was going down, Jamie and his father were out in the backyard grilling chicken and hamburgers for dinner. Sadie wanted to play, but Jamie was feeling a little sore, so they played fetch and she kept bringing him the ball again.

Jamie's mother came outside with Anna cuddled against her shoulder and a beer in her hand. "Here you go," she told her husband, handing it to him, and he gave her a kiss. "Ready soon?"

"Ready soon," he confirmed, and she smiled at Jamie before she took Anna back inside.

Jamie came over to look at the grill. His father was still smiling as he took a sip of the beer.

When they had told Jamie and Ellie that they would have a little brother or sister, Ellie had asked a hundred questions. How soon? Could they go pick one out? Would Santa leave a baby?

Their mother had answered the questions the way Jamie remembered. When Jamie had learned that two people in love made a baby together, that they were made that way, he had pictured his parents going out to the garage, to his Grandpa Nickerson's workbench, and making one together somehow, using tools and nails.

But his mother had kissed his father, so they were still in love, and if they were in love, Jamie wondered if that meant even more brothers and sisters.

"Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"You and Mom made Anna because you're in love together," he said slowly.

"Mmm-hmm," his father replied. "That was how we made you and Mellie, too."

When Jacob's parents had told him that he was getting a little brother or sister, they had given him a book to read, and that hadn't called it making a baby, or love. The book had called it sex, and while Jamie kind of understood what that meant, he kind of didn't.

"Does that mean Aunt George and Uncle Kevin aren't in love?"

His father shook his head. "No..."

"And you said you and Mom aren't going to have any more babies, but does that mean that you—that you don't love Mom now?"

His father shook his head again, checking the grill before he sat down, then gestured for Jamie to sit down with him. "Having a baby isn't the only way two people show they love each other," he said. "But sometimes it's one way. Your Aunt George and Uncle Kevin are in love with each other, and they show it by spending time together and going on trips. Your mother and I love each other very, very much, and we decided that one thing that would make us happy was having children together. And sometimes, even when two people love each other very much, they aren't able to... to make children, and so they might adopt a baby." He made a soft sound. "Sometimes even one person who doesn't love someone else might want to have a baby, too."

"But I thought you said babies were made by love."

"A lot of them are. Not all of them. You and Ellie and Anna were."

Jamie thought for a minute. "So when you met Mom, you fell in love with her and you wanted to have us."

He chuckled softly, almost under his breath. "Kind of," he said. "I very definitely fell in love with her. It took her a little while to catch up."

Jamie tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we met when we were very young. In high school. We weren't ready to be together forever, then. Your mother especially."

"But if you loved her..." Jamie shook his head.

He smiled briefly. "Loving someone doesn't mean she'll love you back," he said. "And it could be that a girl falls in love with you and you don't feel that way about her."

"How do you know?"

"You mean, how do you know if you love someone?"

"I mean... if you met Mom when you were young, will I know when I find the girl I'm supposed to marry? Jay told me that his parents—that his grandparents told them that they were going to be married. Do you and Mom know who I'm going to marry already? Do I already know her?"

He chuckled again. "We don't arrange marriages," he said. "That's what Sanjay's grandparents did. They picked out the person who would marry their child. But we don't do that."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "Because we think love is more important," he said. "Personal choice, compatibility. Chemistry. Sanjay's parents and grandparents weren't wrong; that's their culture, and this is ours. And no, your mother and I don't know who you're going to marry. You might have met her already. But sometimes you meet someone before... well, before you're meant to."

"What do you mean?"

Jamie's father rose and lifted the grill's lid, then began flipping the meat. "I fell in love with your mother very fast, and I didn't want to be with anyone else. She wasn't ready to settle down and be with one person for the rest of her life yet. And that happens. Sometimes people meet and fall deeply in love, but it doesn't last long. Sometimes it can last the rest of your life."

Jamie's stomach twisted a little. "So you and Mom..."

A small smile crossed his father's face. "I will love her for the rest of my life," he said softly. "But some people in your class, their parents are divorced because they aren't in love anymore."

The thought of his parents _not_ being together—that made Jamie's stomach twist even harder. "I was lucky, though," his father continued. "I loved your mother when we met, and I kept loving her. Sometimes people fall in love and then they... well, they fall in and out of love with a lot of people until they find the right one."

"But... if you and Mom were meant to be together, how did she not _know_?"

Jamie and his father both heard the footstep at the same time. "I knew," she told Jamie softly. "I knew that I loved your father very much. But for a woman, sometimes, it's different. I imagined... I thought that being with him forever would be hard."

Ellie made a soft noise. Jamie hadn't realized that his sister had joined them, too.

Jamie's mother sat down in one of the other chairs, holding Anna against her shoulder, and Ellie climbed up onto her lap. "I thought that... no. For a while your dad and I were together and I loved him very much, but I thought that if we were committed, if we were married to each other, I wouldn't be able to do what I loved. I wouldn't be able to help people and solve mysteries and make sure bad people were punished."

"But isn't that what you do for your job?"

"Mmm-hmm," she replied, and patted Anna's back. "But it was different when I was younger, when I met your father, and he was very worried about me all the time, afraid I would be hurt. I knew that if we were married, he wouldn't want me to do that work anymore."

"I wasn't just afraid you'd be hurt," Jamie's father pointed out softly. "I knew you could be."

"And I know you could be," she replied, looking into his face, and the tone of her voice made Jamie's heart hurt a little. "I know you have been..."

He cleared his throat and looked at Jamie. "Remember when I said that sometimes you can meet someone too early?"

Jamie nodded.

"I didn't," Jamie's father said. "I didn't meet your mother too early. I'm glad I met her when I did; I'm glad that I didn't love someone who would never have meant so much to me. And your grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Nickerson, were able to meet her and get to know her, and that meant a lot to me too."

Jamie's parents were gazing at each other, and she reached out and squeezed her husband's hand. "I wish they could have met the three of you," she said, looking at Jamie and Ellie. "They would have loved you so much. I know that they do, even now."

"They do," Jamie's father said softly.

"I'm named after him," Jamie said softly. "Grandpa Nickerson."

His father nodded. "And Anna's middle name is for your Grandma Drew."

Jamie's mother kissed Anna's forehead, and she made a soft sound. "And I'm named for Grandma Nickerson," Ellie said.

"Mmm-hmm. Chandler for her name before she married my dad."

"They're in all of you," Jamie's mother said. "Just like we are. Just like my grandparents and your father's grandparents."

Ellie leaned against her mother, then gently touched her sister's bare foot. Anna made another soft sound, squirming. "So they loved chocolate like I do?"

Their parents chuckled. "I think that's all from your dad, El," her mother said.

\--

After dinner and dessert and two board games—Ellie loved board games, now that she was old enough to play something a little more complicated than Candy Land—Ned took Ellie upstairs for her bath. She asked for her frog pajamas, and after she had put them on and Ned had dried her hair, he tucked her into bed and read her a bedtime story. She hugged her pink teddy bear as she listened to it.

While he read the story, he thought about what to say to her. He and Nancy had talked to Ellie and Jamie about the incident on the playground at the birthday party, and he hoped they understood—but when Ned had been telling them about what their grandparents and great-grandparents had passed down to them, he hadn't been able to put it out of his head. Whatever else Ellie was, she was her mother's daughter. He had known that, but seeing it when she had gone after the boy who was nearly twice her size to help one of her friends... that had been different.

"Hey, mouse," Ned said, looking down at her after he had put the book away.

"Hey Daddy," Ellie told him with a sleepy smile. "Thank you for the story."

He knelt beside her bed and smoothed her fine dark hair from her forehead. "What you did today was very brave," he said. "Helping Padma."

Ellie looked up at him, her big dark eyes wide. "He took her doll," she said. "I helped."

Ned nodded. "I know," he said. "I understand. I just want you to always be careful, okay? Just be safe. Sometimes I know a bad guy has done something bad, but I can't go after him right away. Sometimes I need backup too. I just don't want you to ever be hurt, honey."

Ellie sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he hugged her. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, baby-girl."

Ellie giggled. "I'm your mouse," she said. "Anna's the baby."

Ned shook his head. "You will always be my baby girl," he said. "You and Anna both. No matter how old you are, you will always be my little girl."

Ellie patted his cheek and smiled at him. "You're my favorite in the whole world, Daddy," she said. "You and Mommy are my favorite in the whole world."

"And you and your mommy and your sister are my favorite girls in the whole world," he told her. "Sleep tight, baby."

He checked her night light and closed her bedroom door, then went back downstairs. Anna was asleep in her rocking swing, and Nancy and Jamie were putting something together with Lego blocks. He had changed into his pajamas too, and once they had finished their project and Anna had started to stir, Jamie went upstairs to brush his teeth and go to bed.

Nancy's energy was clearly flagging, and so Ned picked Anna up, checking to see if her diaper needed to be changed. Once he had swiftly changed her, he handed her back to Nancy, who was already unbuttoning her shirt, and let Sadie out for her last walk of the night.

When Ned let the dog back in, she lapped up some water, then headed up the stairs to Jamie's room. Ned followed her. Jamie was just pulling back the covers of his bed to climb in, and he laughed when Sadie jumped up onto his bed and licked his face. "All right, bedtime, Sadie," he told her. She jumped down, picking up one of Jamie's old busted baseballs and taking it to bed with her, then curled up at Jamie's feet with her chin resting on the treasure.

"Brush your teeth?"

"Uh-huh," Jamie replied.

"If you pick up your room tomorrow afternoon, we can work on your derby car."

Jamie brightened. "Oooh! Awesome."

Ned smiled. "I know we've talked about this before, but... if you're ever in a situation like you were in today again, I just want you to be careful. Make sure you have backup—a friend who can run to adults and get help. The odds wouldn't have been good for you today if Ellie hadn't gone after him."

Jamie frowned a little. "I wish she hadn't," he murmured. "I was afraid she was going to get hurt."

"Me too," Ned admitted. "El is a lot like your mom. She sets her mind to something and that's it. And unless Anna takes after Aunt Bess, I can imagine she's going to be a lot like your mom too."

Jamie raised his eyebrows. "I thought Aunt Bess wasn't—blood related?"

Ned chuckled. "It's okay, it was a joke. She isn't. Olivia is, though, and she might help keep El from doing anything too crazy. Maybe."

Sadie abandoned the ball and walked up toward Jamie's arm, then curled up against his hip. Jamie patted her head absently. "She was pretty awesome today, though."

"She was," Ned agreed. "In a way that almost scared me to death, she was."

Ned was just bringing himself back to his feet when Jamie said, "Dad? Maybe... could I maybe take karate lessons?"

"Maybe. Although your Aunt George is pretty good at judo, and she might like to teach you." He turned off the light. "Good night, Jamie. Love you."

"Love you too, Dad." Jamie chuckled when Sadie licked his face again.

Ned went downstairs, and he found Nancy in the kitchen refilling her water bottle before she headed to bed. Ned swept up Anna, who was already drowsy from her full belly, but she gazed at him curiously. "Hey baby," he murmured. "Hey, sweetheart."

Her fist caught the shoulder of his shirt for a second, then released it. Nancy walked into the room and Ned heard her chuckle, then reach for her phone. He smiled at Anna before she took a photo of the two of them. "Your mommy must have a thousand pictures of you," he told her.

"I don't want her to grow up and ask why I have four-point-two billion pictures of Jamie and Ellie, and so few of her," Nancy pointed out. "I think I took pictures of Jamie about every thirty minutes for the first six months of his life."

"She did," Ned told Anna, who blinked at him. "Everything he did was the cutest thing she had ever seen. You're pretty darn adorable too, though."

Anna sighed, and Nancy chuckled again. "So sweet for your daddy," she sighed too.

They went upstairs and brushed their teeth in shifts, while Nancy put Anna in her pajamas and Ned kissed her before putting her in her bassinet. She swiped at a crinkly monkey toy, cooing softly, but she kept blinking for longer and longer intervals.

Nancy was yawning hugely when she returned from the bathroom, running her fingers through her hair. She was rummaging through her dresser when Ned went over to the door and locked it.

Nancy looked over at him, raising her eyebrows. "Hmm?"

"We don't have to have sex," he said. "I just thought we could sleep naked, if that's okay."

Nancy pressed her lips together as she thought about it. "Okay," she murmured, and Ned wasn't entirely surprised when she only stripped down to her panties. She pulled out a nightgown too, leaving it beside the bed so she could put it on if Ellie or Jamie came in.

He slipped his arm over her and Nancy nestled the crown of her head under his chin, her breasts against his chest. He knew how tired she was; she slumped to the pillow with a sigh, nestling against him as he trailed his fingertips against her spine.

"I love you," Ned murmured, and kissed the crown of her head. "I always have, and I always will."

She let out a soft sigh. "I've always loved you," she told him softly. "It just took me longer to understand what it was, what that meant. And you make some beautiful children, Ned Nickerson."

He kissed her temple. "So do you, Nancy Drew Nickerson."


End file.
